Vegetable Bean Soup

I made this last night because I had about a zillion tomatoes that were just this side of going bad. I'm not exactly sure on the measurements, but you can tweak it yourself to your taste. Makes a great lunch for work, and it's easy to make a large batch.

-water
-5 regular tomatoes ( I used 12 small ones, but whatever works for you. I might suggest more than 5 if you are using romas, since they aren't very dense.)
-3 cups baby spinach (non-baby would work too, so would collard greens)
-2 large carrots, chopped
-rosemary
-basil
-oregano
-salt
-pepper
-1 can white beans, drained and rinsed (I used Cannellini beans)

1. In a large pot, put enough water that it would almost cover the tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
2. Carefully drop in all tomatoes. Add salt, pepper, and herbs. Cover. You can turn down temp, as long as it remains at a light boil. Boil tomatoes for about 10 minutes.
3. Add in chopped carrots and cups of spinach, stir. Tomatoes should be beginning to fall apart. Replace cover, boil for 10 more minutes.
4. Check vegetables to ensure they are soft, especially the carrots. Remove pot from heat. Allow to cool.
5. When cool enough to handle, pour mixture into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Pour back into pot, add the can of beans. Mix well. You can heat the soup back up to serve, or store. I ate it topped with an avocado and some grated strong parmesan cheese.

Open-Faced Turkey Sandwich with Spicy Apple Chutney

I made this today for lunch, when I wanted a turkey sandwich but discovered we were out of cheese. It takes some time, but its still really easy.

Ingredients:

-olive oil

-1/4 onion

-2 oz red pepper

-1/2 small apple (I just ate the other half while cooking)

-1 tsp ground ginger

-1 tsp cayenne pepper

-1 tsp cinnamon

-apple cider vinegar

-2 slices deli turkey

-1 handful of baby spinach leaves

-1 slice bread (I used sourdough)

-salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop the onion, red pepper, and apple in roughly the same size chunks. You can peel the apple if you'd like, but I prefer skin on. Coat a pan in olive oil, toss in the chunks, and saute on medium heat.

2. Add salt, pepper, ginger, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon. Stir, then just let them saute so they become soft.

3. Meanwhile, put the oven on broil. Take your slice of bread and drizzle it with just a little bit of olive oil. Place under broiler, just until one side is slightly toasted. On the untoasted side, arrange the spinach leaves and turkey slices. Place back under broiler, just enough that the turkey is warmed.

4. The apple mixture should be fairly soft now. Add in a splash of apple cider vinegar and stir. Spoon the mixture over your hot sandwich. It's messy, I suggest using a knife and fork.

There's no picture, I ate it too fast.

Salsa

A staple in my family has always been SALSA, but we are pretty picky about what we like. We like there to be some chunkiness to it, definitely some spice, and a generally good flavor. Thanks to my Uncle Jim, who's recipe I've tweaked just a tad, I've managed to find the perfect balance of flavor and spice to suit my picky relatives. Now, salsa will come out slightly differently each time you make it, so the following is more of a guideline than a hard and fast recipe:

4-5 large tomatoes diced
1 large onion diced (I use white, but red works just as well and so does a combo of 1/2 of both)
3-4 large cloves of garlic minced
1 green bell pepper diced
2-6 jalapeno peppers diced (more will make it hotter)
2-4 serano peppers diced(these are hotter than jalapenos, so use with caution)
2-3 limes juiced
2-3 tbsp red wine vinegar (till mixture is moistened)
1/2-2/3 a bunch fresh (and washed) cilantro leaves chopped
1/2-1 tbsp chili powder
1-2 tsp cumin

Dice, mince, juice, chop and measure all of your ingredients (you can seed the tomatoes and peppers if you want, but I never do) and throw them into a large bowl. Let the salsa sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours, stirring, shaking, or shifting occasionally, to let flavors blend. This will be a chunky salsa, but do not blend it after it is all mixed together to smooth it out. Instead, for a silkier texture, liquify only the tomatoes in a food processor.

Enjoy Ladies!

Crunchy Cabbage Sald

(Apparently I like things crunchy! ;)

This salad is addicting... And SO easy to make. Tommy and I both love it!

Crunchy Cabbage Salad

Salad:

1 Head of Cabbage (some prefer only 1/2 head, I like mine with a lot of cabbage)

2 chicken breast, cooked, cooled and shredded

1/2 c sliced/chopped almonds, toasted

2 t sesame seeds, toasted

4 green onions, sliced

Noodles from chicken ramen packet, broken up

Dressing:

Seasoning packet from Ramen

2 tsp sugar

1T vinegar

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 tsp salt (to taste)

pepper to taste

Combine dressing ingredients and chill in fridge. Combine salad ingredients then mix in dressing.

Laura's Shrimp and Veggie Pasta

Hey ladies! Here is a recipe my sister and I have been cooking as a really delicious low-cal, and high protein lunch/dinner. It looks like a lot but it’s really easy to make, and I have been like 2 times a week! **Veggies, pasta and vinaigrette quantities and varieties are easy to change in this recipe to fit your liking ;) Hope you like shrimp

Lindsay’s Wiked Good Shrimp and Veggie Pasta

· EV Olive Oil

· 1/3 c.- ½ c. Light Balsamic Vinaigrette (Ken’s is delicious and VERY low carb, low fat and low cal so I recommend that)

· 1-2 T. Smart Balance or low fat butter/spread

· ½ box Whole wheat pasta (I have been using Penne)

· 2 c. cooked shrimp (I have been using frozen pre-cooked small shrimp because they are de-veined and de-tailed)

To be sautéd:

· 1 sm. Or ½ med. Yellow onion (sliced)

· 2 lg. garlic cloves (minced)

· Red bell pepper (sliced or chopped)

Chopped vegetables ½ cup of each:

· Broccoli

· Asparagus

· Carrots (sliced or baby)

· Yellow squash or zucchini

1.) Sauté onion, garlic and red bell pepper in olive oil over med. med-high heat in lg. pan for 5-7 minutes.

2.) Prepare water and boil, adding pasta when ready. Cook to your liking.

3.) Add chopped vegetables, vinaigrette and butter spread into sauté pan. Reduce heat to med-low and let simmer for 15 minutes. I have also tried steaming the veggies for a few minutes before adding them into the sauté pan if people want their veggies extra cooked. Either way, they get cooked and everyone wins :)

4.) When veggies seem a few minutes from begin finished, add defrosted shrimp and simmer until heated thoroughly. I always add about ¼ c. more vinaigrette at this part because I like it on the saucier side!

5.) Dish pasta and scoop veggie-shrimp sauté magic over pasta and dig in! Make 3-4 servings!

Enjoy,

Laura Guimond

Raspberry Lemonade

Hey Ladies!

This is a recipe that I made after we graduated. Most of you have tasted it already, and it is very simple. However, I figured I would post it so everyone can enjoy it.

Ingredients:

Country Time Lemonade Mix

Raspberry Vodka

Directions:

1. Make Country Time Lemonade Mix to your liking. I usually leave mine somewhat yellow (that leaves it a little more sweet).

2. Pour lemonade into a regular glass and add a shot of Raspberry Vodka. (you can add more if you prefer)

If you have a big gathering of friends, I tend to make 2 gallons of lemonade at a time. It is the lemonade that goes the quickest. Also, you can substitute Strawberry Vodka to make Strawberry Lemonade instead of Raspberry. Enjoy!

Black Bean Salad

This is one of my favorite salad recipes... I hope you enjoy!!

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, rinsed, and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, defrosted (I use 1 can of corn, drained)
1/2 cup chopped green onions or shallots
2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced (I used serano chilis)
3 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
2 Tbsp lime juice (about the amount of juice from one lime)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Make sure to rinse and drain the beans, if you are using canned beans.
In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, onions, jalapeno chile peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, basil, lime juice and olive oil. Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. (The sugar will help balance the acidity from the tomatoes and lime juice.) Chill before serving.

Serves 6 to 8.

Crunchy Garbanzo Beans

Hey ladies! My turn for a recipe! This can either be a side dish or a crunchy snack at a party! I made these for a Christmas party last year and everyone loved them! Enjoy!!

Crunchy Garbanzo Beans

What You'll Need:
2 T. olive oil
2 (15 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper (I use about 1/2 t. - I love pepper)
1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
3 T. freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Rinse the beans in a colander, drain and dry well with a paper towel
3. Add the oil, salt and pepper to the beans and toss evenly to coat.
4. Spread beans in an even layer on the baking sheet, and place in preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until crunchy, stirring and shaking the pan midway through baking.
5. Sprinkle the rosemary evenly over the beams, and continue to cook 8-10 minutes (some will be slightly soft in the center).
6. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the beans to a serving bowl.
Sprinkle the cheese over the bean and stir to evenly distribute the cheese.

Makes 8 servings


Happy cooking,
Belle

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

Hi everyone!

  This week, I thought I'd share my grandmother's recipe for chocolate peanut butter oatmeal no-bake cookies!  They are very easy to make, and everyone loves them.

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. cocoa

1/2 stick of butter

1 c. peanut butter

3 c. quick cooking oats (must be quick cooking kind-I keep them around just for these cookies)

1 tsp. vanilla

Heat sugar, milk, cocoa, and butter and bring to a boil.  Add peanut butter, oats, and vanilla (I usually turn to "low" or remove from burner at this point).  Drop spoonfuls onto wax paper to cool.

That's it!  Quick and easy.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Lizzie

Cooking Club! Yes! You want it!

Hello my cooking chums,

     I have been thinking about delicious food, and how much I love it, and sharing it.  I think we should start a cooking club of sorts.  Each week, one of us will share a recipe that they made that turned out delicious.  Then we will rotate, and someone else will share a recipe the next week, and so on.  It can be anything; side dish, soup, snack, beverage, main meal, whatever.  I think it would be fun, and a good way to try new recipes.  I'll start.

   I made soup, yummy blackbean soup today, very filling and good for you.

Ingredients:

2 cans blackbeans

1 can diced tomatoes (I used kroger brand Fire Roasted tomatoes, they have a spicy kick and I love them.  And they're cheap.)

1 c. chicken broth (vegetable broth can be substituted, or even water, but soup will be blander)

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp. dried cilantro, 1 Tbsp if using fresh.

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

3 squirts hot sauce (can be omitted)

1 avocado

2 Tbsp sour cream

1. Rinse and drain 1 can of the blackbeans.  Place in a food processer (Ninja!) or blender, along with the garlic cloves, cilantro, cumin, cayenne pepper, lime juice, hot sauce, and about a quarter of the chicken broth.  Blend until smooth.

2. Place blackbean mixture into a large sauce pan, put on medium heat.  Add the rest of the chicken broth, mix. 

3. Rinse and drain other can of blackbeans, add whole beans to soup.  Open can of tomatoes, add to soup.  Drain tomatoes if using diced, use whole can if using fire roasted tomatoes.  Mix, heat until desirable level.

4. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and sliced avocado on top.

Serves 2 with leftovers for lunch.  Whole process takes about 15 minutes.

So, do you think this will be fun?  Plus, we can get reviews if other people make your recipe.  Any volunteers on who wants to go next?  Maybe we can make an order in which to go.  Let me know! 

-Katie, level 5 Kitchen Master